Obama Attempts To Suppress Ohio Military Vote

Politics: The administration likes to use soldiers for photo-ops but now, in a critical battleground state, they want to restrict the extra time for service members who protect our right to vote to cast theirs.

mvsaclThe administration showed its true appreciation for military service when, on July 17, the Obama for America Campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party filed suit in that swing state to strike down part of the state's law governing voting by members of the military that gives them extra time to cast their ballots.

Ohio is one of 32 states that allows early voting in person or by mail without an excuse.

Until recently Ohio state law allowed early voting in person for everyone up until the Monday before the Tuesday election. The GOP-controlled legislature moved that deadline back to the Friday before, retaining the Monday deadline for military personnel.

Republican Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law.

AMVETS, the National Guard Association of the United States, the U.S. Army Association and other organizations on Wednesday asked a judge to dismiss the suit that seeks to deny members of the military the three extra days to cast their votes early on the grounds that the Ohio legislature was not discriminating against anyone, but merely recognizing the difficulties service members can face in casting their ballots.

While Democratic groups say the military exemption is "arbitrary" with "no discernible rational basis," military groups say federal and state law in fact recognizes the need to give military personnel extra time to vote.

Considering that Ohio voters can cast early ballots up to 35 days before an election, the military extension imposes no undue hardship on other voters.

The National Defense Committee, a veterans organization, notes that "for each of the last three years, the Department of Defense's Federal Voting Assistance Program has reported to the President and the Congress that the number one reason for military voter disenfranchisement is inadequate time to successfully vote."

An administration that constantly talks about voter disenfranchisement appears unconcerned that a study by the nonpartisan Military Voters Protection Project found that in 2008 less than 20% of 2.5 million military voters successfully voted by absentee ballot.

In 2010, participation shrank to a scandalous 5%. We need to encourage military voting and make it easier.

Supporters of the suit claim the Democrats aren't really trying to suppress the military vote, just give others the same access to polls that would be open anyway.

Politics: The administration likes to use soldiers for photo-ops but now, in a critical battleground state, they want to restrict the extra time for service members who protect our right to vote to cast theirs.

mvsaclThe administration showed its true appreciation for military service when, on July 17, the Obama for America Campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party filed suit in that swing state to strike down part of the state's law governing voting by members of the military that gives them extra time to cast their ballots.

Ohio is one of 32 states that allows early voting in person or by mail without an excuse.

Until recently Ohio state law allowed early voting in person for everyone up until the Monday before the Tuesday election. The GOP-controlled legislature moved that deadline back to the Friday before, retaining the Monday deadline for military personnel.

Republican Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law.

AMVETS, the National Guard Association of the United States, the U.S. Army Association and other organizations on Wednesday asked a judge to dismiss the suit that seeks to deny members of the military the three extra days to cast their votes early on the grounds that the Ohio legislature was not discriminating against anyone, but merely recognizing the difficulties service members can face in casting their ballots.

While Democratic groups say the military exemption is "arbitrary" with "no discernible rational basis," military groups say federal and state law in fact recognizes the need to give military personnel extra time to vote.

Considering that Ohio voters can cast early ballots up to 35 days before an election, the military extension imposes no undue hardship on other voters.

The National Defense Committee, a veterans organization, notes that "for each of the last three years, the Department of Defense's Federal Voting Assistance Program has reported to the President and the Congress that the number one reason for military voter disenfranchisement is inadequate time to successfully vote."

An administration that constantly talks about voter disenfranchisement appears unconcerned that a study by the nonpartisan Military Voters Protection Project found that in 2008 less than 20% of 2.5 million military voters successfully voted by absentee ballot.

In 2010, participation shrank to a scandalous 5%. We need to encourage military voting and make it easier.

Supporters of the suit claim the Democrats aren't really trying to suppress the military vote, just give others the same access to polls that would be open anyway.

Supporters of the current law say the military needs all the time possible for members to vote and the law was designed to make rules in Ohio's 88 counties consistent and reduce the need for weekend overtime to keep facilities open.

The problem is the Obama administration has shown a disregard for military voters who, studies show, tend to vote Republican. In the 2010 election cycle, the Department of Justice was woefully lax in enforcing the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, which was designed to ensure that military voters overseas get their ballots in time to mark and return them.

Of course, this reluctance to promote and support military voting — while dead voters are allowed to remain on the rolls and cast ballots, and while the right of felons to vote is championed — has nothing to do with the fact that John McCain won 54% of the military vote in 2008 or that a May 2012 Gallup poll showed Mitt Romney pulling 58% to President Obama's paltry 34%.

This isn't surprising considering the GOP's strong position on national defense, particularly while President Obama apologizes to our enemies and guts the military budget. Regardless, those who risk their lives to protect our right to vote should get all the extra time they need.

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